Indulge in your favorite holiday treats without putting on a pound!

Stay Slim This Season

Stay Slim This Season

Turkey, stockings, that jolly guy in the red suit—these things are supposed to be stuffed during the holidays. You? Not so much. Yet from late October through December, you're faced with heaps of Halloween candy, Thanksgiving treats, and holiday cakes and cookies. It may seem impossible to make it to the New Year without gobbling up every last delectable goodie. Well, read on for an early holiday gift: a guide to enjoying your favorite treats through the season so you don't come out the other side of January 1 with extra padding.

Pre-Festivity Feasting

Pre-Festivity Feasting

A taste here, a sample there...if you're not careful, you could easily consume hundreds of calories before the first guest arrives. To keep a lid on pre-party picking:

Eat before you cook. Don't even think about setting foot in the kitchen to whip up your famous pecan pie on an empty stomach, warns Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, author of The Active Calorie Diet. It's like going food shopping when you're hungry. Have a balanced meal or snack—one that includes vegetables, lean protein, healthy fats and whole grains—before cooking, so you won't be as tempted to nibble. A bowl of oatmeal or other whole-grain cereal with milk, fruit and nuts, or a salad tossed in olive oil and vinegar and topped with grilled chicken are a few good options.

Tally your tastes. "If you have to sample something, put it on a plate first," Bonci says. Eating right out of the pot or pan makes it easy to lose track of how much you're consuming. A great way to keep tabs: Use a new spoon for each sample, then count the spoons as you go. (Visual reminders are powerful—research found that people ate more at an all-you-can-eat restaurant when their plates were cleared from the table between helpings than when the remnants were left in front of them.)